Saturday, August 30, 2008

A Quickie

Just a quick post this morning while I have a few minutes. What started out as a relaxing do nothing weekend has quickly shaped up into a very busy weekend. This afternoon we are going to a pig roast for awhile at the home of a co worker of George's. Normally George doesn't socialize with people he works with because of his position at work. Sometimes people see you as a friend/aquaintance all the time and forget that you are their supervisor at work. But the guy who is having the pig roast (his name escapes me at the moment) is not one of George's employees and he's been inviting him for several years now, so we are going to make an appearance for awhile.
Later this evening we are meeting my best friend Rose and her hubby Steve for dinner at the Olive Garden. We've been planning this for some time now and something has always come up on the weekend of our dinner plans. But not tonight. I am looking forward to seeing her because I think it was Memorial Day weekend when we last saw each other. That's way too long to go without a Rosie fix. Not sure what we will do after dinner, maybe just go back to one of our houses and chat or walk around at the closest Mall.

Tomorrow afternoon we are heading down to Massachusetts to see my sweet daughter and her boyfriend. It will also be meet the parents day as I have yet to meet Brad's family. I am looking forward to meeting Brad's brother and sister in law also. Apparently Sunday is family day at their house and the whole family shows up for a BBQ, drinks and hanging out by the pool. The weather is supposed to be really nice all weekend so it should be a lot of fun!
On a little side note, Sara loves her job and has been talking about going back to school to become a dental assistant. I knew it wouldn't be long for her to tie her Anthropology degree in with a dental skill of some sort. She is looking into whether or not the dental office will help with schooling. I am betting they will.
It's really nice to hear the joy and excitement in her voice again.

I am hoping Monday I can do laundry and relax for the rest of the day. We have been invited to spend the night at Brad's parents on Sunday if we want to, but I think I will feel a little uncomfortable there since I hardly know them all. But we will see...it's about a 90 minute drive from their house to mine. I guess it all depends on how much fun we are having (and how much we are drinking) on Sunday.

I hope you all have a great long holiday weekend!
Enjoy!

Lainie

Saturday, August 23, 2008

A Few More Pics

I have a few more pictures from last weekend that I wanted to share. Along with a short story. LOL
The ride up to Pittsburg from George's house was about 3 hours long. We stopped for supper along the way in Twin Mountain, NH and that took just about an hour, so for approximately 4 hours, we talked while we rode and never turned the radio on once. This is typical for us, I finally found someone who talks as much as (or more than) I do. LOL Anyway, along the ride, it came up that we would be passing a beautiful waterfall that sits right along the side of the road. Since I have never been up there, I didn't know where it was, but I figured since George mentioned it and spoke about it for some time, it must be a spectacular sight. I was looking forward to seeing it. Well that waterfall went by in a flash, because we were talking about something else by the time we came upon in and he had pretty much driven by it by the time he pointed it out. What kind of a tour guide was he anyway? LOL He promised to stop there on the way home so I could have a good look and on Sunday, we did stop and enjoyed the view.

This is Beaver Brook Falls in Colebrook, NH The falls drop over approximately 70 feet of ledge to a little basin at the bottom, then flows into the Beaver Brook. You can walk up the right side of the falls on a small path that eventually changes to a slick and muddy climb, which I wasn't about to undertake. These pics were taken from the road and parking area in front of the falls and there is also a picnic area to the left and a very well manicured grassy area to just sit and enjoy the view.





We stopped there for about a half hour then continued on our way home.

Along the way, we drove by Cannon Mountain. I thought it was kind of cool to see the slopes without any snow on them so I snapped this pic as we drove by.


Note the chair lift in the center of the pic and the canoe in the Profile Lake below. There were two people fishing from the canoe.

This is a pic of Franconia Notch. Usually I am up there when the leaves are turning so it was neat to see the trees still all green. I will be going back this way in October so I will be able to get a shot when they are all colorful.



This is a picture of what used to be The Old Man in The Mountain also called Profile Mountain. There was a group of 5 Granite ledges that jutted out and appeared to be the profile of a man's face. The face was carved out naturally by glaciers thousands of years ago and was first discovered in 1805. The face collapsed in May of 2003 due to weathering. I pulled a pic off the 'Net to show what it did look like and the next one is the one I took of what it looks like now.





Doesn't look like much more than a big pile of rocks now. :-(

I also snapped this photo of Profile Lake as we drove by it. I just pointed the camera out the window and took the shot from behind so I was impressed at how well it came out. LOL



It was a really nice weekend and we are going back up the first weekend of October. Looking forward to getting some good pics of the foliage. Better charge up my camera!

Monday, August 18, 2008

The Land Of The Pointy Trees

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go WAY up North to what is often referred to as "God's Country" here in New Hampshire. Pittsburg, New Hampshire is about as far north as you can get before reaching Canada. The region is affectionately called The Great North Woods and that name fits perfectly. I've lived in New Hampshire all of my life and I have never been that far north, so I thought it was high time I go.
George found a place that rented log cabins and he made a reservation for the weekend. It was the cutest little place in the middle of nowhere. The folks who own the cabins (I believe there are 8 cabins in all) are retired folks and they really cater to the people who like to rough it with comfort. LOL I mean, that place had everything you can imagine. Here you can see the living area, all comfy and cozy, and there was even a VCR by the television and movies to watch.



The kitchen was well equipped also with every appliance necessary. There was even ice already frozen in the ice trays in the freezer. Notice the Captain Morgan on the counter. (OK I had to bring that myself.)





The bedroom was roomy but if there was one negative about the place, it had to be the mattress on the bed. Just too hard for my taste but very well stocked with extra blankets, pillows and plenty of storage.



There was a second bedroom which was very much like the one we used, except there was an alarm clock in that one. Since I had no place to be in the morning, there was no need to move the clock.
The bath included a large shower stall, a pedestal sink and a commode, all relatively new. Plenty of storage also for towels and personal items.



We spent a lot of time that Friday night outside on the front porch. Here are a few photos of the glorious view.





We were even treated to a nice full moon that evening.



As the moon got higher in the sky, I was watching some clouds passing in front of it. Doesn't it look like the moon was sliced in half?







Saturday we spent a good part of the day riding around to all of George's favorite haunts. He spent a lot of time up there as a teenager hunting and camping, and he swore I would see a moose before the end of the weekend. So that was our quest, and it took many miles of riding the back roads trying to accomplish that.

Here is a pic of George by Indian Stream.



Another pic of the stream.




We saw clouds rolling in and we could hear thunder off in the distance so we went back to the cabin to wait it out. I got a nice shot of the of the storm clouds over the First Connecticut Lake.



After the storm passed I just knew there would be a rainbow. I took these from the porch of the cabin.





Once the storm passed, we headed back out to "Moose Alley" to see what we could find. I had my eyes peeled as we drove along the roadside, looking into the woods and the fields as much as I could, to spot that moose that had been eluding us all day. One moose...any moose, that was all I wanted to see. We drove up to the Canadian border and turned around at the customs building, and I thought it was going to be a fruitless day of moose hunting. George was trying to pacify me by promising me another trip up there soon. I know he felt badly since he was so sure I would see a moose. I even started singing a song I was making up along the way about how there are no moose in moose alley. It was all a ploy, a conspiracy if you will, to get the tourists up there. I had begun to call the road "Mooseless Alley" and right about dusk, a couple of miles from the turnoff to where we were staying, we came upon several cars lining the side of the roadway. We pulled over and there in the bog, was a MOOSE!!! I got my camera ready and started clicking away. In my excitement, I apparently didn't get my settings right because the pics came out pretty dark but there he is in his splendid glory.





George estimates he is a young bull moose around 700 lbs. I think he's so cool.

This is a better shot taken with George's camera.



There were quite a few people there all taking pictures and it looked like the moose was getting a bit irritated so we decided to get back to the car and get out of harms way before he got really mad. I didn't care, I was happy, I finally saw a moose in the wild. I was like a kid who just got a huge birthday present. I was excited and very happy.
We went back to the cabin and sat outside on the porch, watching the full moon again and the stars. It was a really great way to cap off the day.

We left on Sunday morning after breakfast. I was a bit sad to go home, we had such a peaceful and wonderful weekend. I am thinking that would make a nice place to go next summer during our vacation. It's quiet and relaxing, and to me, that is what taking a vacation is all about. I know George had a good time, too. He said numerous times that he could easily spend a week there and not get bored.

I've got a few more pics from the weekend but will save those for another time.
I really should get in the kitchen and make something for supper.

Hugs!

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Saturday Night With The Kids

Good Afternoon!

I hope everyone has had a good weekend so far. It is a gorgeous day here in New Hampshire. No rain (until tonight) and sunny, not too hot, just a perfect day. Light breeze blowing by and for a change, NO humidity. We have been water logged around here. The ground has been saturated with all the rain we've had for the last month. I think we've had about 2 maybe 3 full days without rain the whole month of July and so far this August. One of the rainiest summers in a long time.

Eric and Jessie came for supper last night so I had a lot to do yesterday. When George arrived in the afternoon, I was in the middle of washing the kitchen floor. He offered to help with some other task so I had him grab the vacuum cleaner and he cleared the cobwebs I couldn't reach and he vacuumed the carpet. (He did a more thorough job than I do, too, I might add.) He's going to make a good housewife someday. LOL

The kids arrived around 6 and supper was just about ready. I made Chicken Parmasean with spaghetti and garlic bread. George picked up some fresh corn on the cob at the farm by his house and Jessie brought home made chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Everything was delicious and we were all pretty full. We sat around the table after supper talking. It was brought to my attention that Eric is interested in buying my house, but they don't have enough money at the moment for a down payment. He asked a lot of questions about when I was planning to sell and what kind of money he would need, and when I wanted to sell the house, etc. They live in an apartment and they are locked into their lease until March so they wouldn't be able to do anything until then.
After much discussion, it was suggested that I rent the house to them on a rent to own basis with part of their rent going into an account that they could use as a down payment. I don't carry a mortgage on the house, I own it outright, and all I would have to pay are the taxes, which I could manage. I could actually close up the house for a few months until they are ready to move in, and it would also give us a little more time to fix up a few things that need fixing. The bathroom is the one room in the house that needs a complete overhaul and that would be easier to do with no one living here. So it's something to think about and they left here with ideas popping into their heads, and Jessie visualizing where their furniture would go, etc. Of course, there are a lot of negatives that go along with renting/selling to relatives and we can work out all of the details when it is time. But for right now, it makes a lot of sense. I told them to think about it, discuss it, and let me know what they want to do.

Today is kind of a lazy day. We slept in this morning and had a late breakfast. George went home a little bit ago and I cleaned up the breakfast dishes and started a load of laundry. Once that is finished, I think I may take a ride. I need to get gas and I want to stop at WalMart and pick up a few things. Or I may just hang out here on the deck with a book. The weather is going to turn bad by this evening so I want to enjoy the sun while I can.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Sunday, August 03, 2008

Styx and Boston

The Styx/Boston concert was a huge success and George and I had a blast. We headed out around 4pm and stopped at a place called Patrick's Bar and Eatery for a quick bite to eat. The bar is right around the corner from the Concert Pavillion and it was really packed with people who all obviously had the same idea. We had to wait for about 20 minutes for a table and then ordered. I had a chicken fajita which was pretty good and George had...hmmm what else, a cheeseburger with fries. After supper we went directly to the pavillion. It was cloudy but looked like it would clear. We parked and walked about 10 minutes to the concert pavillion. We had an hour to kill so we first found our seats and then went over to the beer tent to get a drink. We just walked around for a bit and about 15 minutes before the first show, it started to rain. Just sprinkles at first but then the wind picked up and it started to pour. Luckily, our seats were just under cover. We made our way to our seats and waited for the show to start. Even though it was thundering and the lightening was incredible, we only got a tad bit wet when the wind blew and the show went on.
Styx was first and they put on a really good show. They played for just under 90 minutes and I really enjoyed it. The only disappointment was they didn't sing Babe, which is one of our favorite songs. You would think that it would be their closing song, but it wasn't even in their playlist. They played one encore which was a very extended version of Renegade.
Boston took the stage about 45 minutes later. The show was good, a little weird seeing the Myspace dude Tommy DeCarlo, singing in place of Brad Delp. He sounds a lot like him but I thought his voice was a bit weak and he doesn't have a very strong stage presence. They did a lot of their hits as well as some songs I have never heard but they were well received and everyone rocked as much as a bunch of 50 year olds can rock. LOL (Yes most everyone in the audience was my age or older.)
George also noted that they sound a whole lot different being straight as opposed to him being stoned. LOL The Boston show was good but I have to say I really enjoyed Styx a lot better.
We left around 10:30, took the hike back to our car. (It stopped raining by this time.) We were back to George's house by 11. We sat up waiting for Patrick to get home, visited with him for a bit and then went to bed. The storms started up again and lasted about a half hour so it was awhile before I could fall asleep. I am feeling it today. This morning we got up around 8 and met George's kids and grandkids for breakfast at the resort where Patrick works. They have a really nice buffet and Patrick was behind the egg station making omelets to order, as usual. He does a great job but I decided on french toast, bacon, home fries and fruit for breakfast this time. Everything was very good. We visited with the kids for awhile and we were entertained by Alex's antics all through breakfast. He's 2 and cute so he usually can get away with it.
We headed back to George's house and I packed up my stuff and left around noon. I am now sitting here listening to the thunder (again) and waiting for my laundry to finish. I also have a few items to pick up at the grocery store so I plan on heading there once the storm passes.
I am tired but it was a great weekend. I will definitely be in bed early tonight.
I hope you all had a nice weekend too!

Saturday, August 02, 2008

Jason Bay Rocks

Just a little addition to yesterday's post regarding Jason Bay, the Red Sox new Left Fielder. Last night he got a standing ovation when he was introduced and he got on base a couple of times including hitting a two out triple in the 12th inning. He scored the only two runs the Sox managed to score and he made an awesome catch in left field. He was also named player of the game. So I think Jason Bay has made his presence known in the "Bay State" and we all will soon be saying Manny Who? Pretty good start to his tenure here in New England.
And yes...as you can see we did manage to watch the game. LOL



It's drizzling out this morning and the sky is dark. The concert is an outdoor event but doesn't start until this evening so hopefully the clouds will clear before it begins. The forecast doesn't sound too promising though. :-(

Time for me to get some housework done.
Hugs

Friday, August 01, 2008

A Day Off

Off Friday...gotta love that! I slept until 8 this morning and could have stayed in bed longer but I hate to waste a nice sunny day. So I got up, cleaned the bathroom, straightened up the kitchen and loaded my car with Avon that needed to be delivered. I showered, paid some bills while I waited for my hair to dry, then headed out. Got everything done, came home, watched All My Children, and now have General Hospital on. I spent the hour between shows online chatting with my friend Chris, who I never get to chat with. He now lives in Arkansas with his girlfriend Joy and was very happy to hear of the recent and future changes in my life.

It's the first day of August. Where has the summer gone? Summers here in the Northeast are so short. This summer has been a particularly odd summer but the weather has been warm and humid for the most part. Last summer we struggled to get past 80 most days. Anyway it has been a really decent summer except for a few bad storms. I'm glad I am able to enjoy a decent day every once in awhile.

I wanted to take a ride this afternoon to the area that was devastated by the tornado last week but I realized I had forgotten my camera so I will save that for another day. Maybe George and I can take a ride on Sunday afternoon. I am told that there are still lots of trees down. There is about a 40 mile path of uprooted and sheared off trees, houses and cars with trees through the roofs and buildings that have been moved right off their foundations. It will and be quite awhile before everything is repaired and/or replaced. I know those of you in the south are used to weather like this but we are not and it has really been a challenge for many.

Just sitting here now waiting for George to get out of work. He should be here around 5pm and we are going to go out for beer and pizza tonight. I suppose we will come back to my place after and watch the baseball game. Well we will at least put it on. *insert evil grin here*
One of my favorite players on the Red Sox was traded yesterday to the LA Dodgers. Manny Rameriez is a fan favorite and an awesome ball player but he also liked to stir the trouble pot and flap his gums. I think he did it a few times too many. The Red Sox organization seems to have been fed up with his antics and when they got the chance to trade him, they did. They are still paying his salary for the remainder of the year so I guess that says they had really had enough of him. Manny is a great left fielder and has hit over 500 homeruns in his career. He was also very instrumental in helping the Red Sox win 2 World Series in the last few years, so hats off to him. But he isn't irreplaceable and I think Jason Bay can fill those big shoes. Maybe with less drama but perhaps a little shaking up is what the Red Sox need, since they've been slumping a bit lately.

OK I guess that's enough gibberish for today. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

~L~